How to Make Your Nose Look Smaller with Makeup

Face Makeup

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought your nose looked too big, know that you’re not the only one who’s ever done that. While you can’t change the shape of your nose, you can use makeup to alter its appearance temporarily. Yep, you can make your nose look smaller by expertly wielding your brushes and blenders to contour. Stay tuned to learn how to make your nose appear smaller—courtesy of contouring and highlighting—and a few additional tricks for changing the look of your nose with only makeup. And of course, we think your nose looks gorgeous whether you decide to contour it or not!

How to Slim the Look of Your Nose

Want to make your nose look smaller? Follow these makeup tips to do so temporarily.

Step #2: Highlight. You can help reshape the look of your nose with a bright highlight. Using a creamy highlighter that isn’t too shimmery, draw a line directly down the center of your nose. Try the L’Oréal Paris Magic Lumi Highlighting Concealer to achieve your ideal illumination. Available in three hues, pick the shade that best suits your skin tone to create a subtle highlight. Just twist the product out through the brush applicator and place a steady line on the bridge, then blend out using your fingertip.

Step #3: Contour. Start with a cream contour color (to keep textures consistent), picking your shade from the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Concealing and Contour Kit, or blending and mixing multiple hues together to create a custom color. In addition to providing coverage, the palette is perfect for adding shadows and depth to your nose. With a thin brush, paint a line on either side of your nose. The closer together you place the lines, the thinner your nose will look. Still, be sure to keep some space between your lines. One you’re happy with your work, use the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Contour Blender to bounce and blend the lines in. The soft sponge can help soften the contour and keep it from looking harsh.

Step #4: Set with powder. For added oomph, add powder on top of creams. With the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Contour Palette, brush the lighter shade over the bridge of your nose and blend the darker color down the sides of your nose. The powder can help keep your makeup in place as well as further define the shape you’ve created.

Step #5: Continue onto cheeks and temples. Why stop at contouring your nose? The best way to create balance is by using the same products and colors to shade in other spots. Start by contouring around your forehead and cheekbones. Follow with illuminator, adding it above your cheekbones and cupid's bow to help give your complexion a glow.

How to Make Your Nose Look Thicker

If you’re in search of nose slimming tricks and tips, it’s probably hard to imagine that there are people out there actually trying to make the bridge of their nose look thicker. But it totally happens! If you want your nose to appear more substantial, all it takes is making a simple adjustment to the aforementioned steps. Just place the lines of your contour further apart and fill the space in with highlighter. The larger the light space in the center of your nose, the bigger it will seem.

How to Make Your Nose Look Straighter

The steps for achieving a straighter look are once again similar to the ones used to slim the look of your nose. The major difference is that instead of drawing lines that follow the shape of your nose, you’ll want to draw two straight lines that ignore your nose’s actual shape. Stick with a reflective highlight that will draw attention (and light) away from the uneven shape of your nose.

How to Make Your Nose Look Shorter

This might sound crazy, but you can shorten the look of your nose with a little contour powder. Use a concealer brush to place the powder on the tip of your nose, going around the curves of your nostrils. Darkening the end of your nose can help visually raise the tip for a shorter appearance.

How to Make Your Nose Look Longer

On the flipside, if you’d like your nose to look longer, that’s possible, too. Instead of darkening the tip of your nose, add a highlight. Stick with a matte powder or pick up an option with shimmer, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator. With a blending brush, dust the powder onto your nose as if punctuating the tip.